September 18, 2013

The Best Internship on Earth is just about done, and I still find myself asking the same question I asked after my very first day on the job: is this real life?

There are so many cool parts of this internship it's a little absurd.

What are the highlights of the summer? What AREN'T the highlights of the summer is a better question. Delays, and babies on planes. But that's what you get when you sign up to travel the country for 10 weeks, and if that's the price, I'm happy to pay it.

I'm tempted to turn this last blog post into a faux Academy Award winning speech and thank every single person who's helped us, until theoretical music begins to play and you click the red x button on this browser. I'll settle for saying that there are so many cool peeps involved in the Sierra Club, one way or another, and they made my summer. Hats off to all of you.

There were the in-between moments, too, the turning points, the long hours posted up at the airport during delays, the lesson learned that it's more about the journey than the destination. Backpacking in Sequoia really brought that point home. The delirium from being on the road, and getting into SFO at 2am only to turn around and catch a train at 8am the next morning, brought Daniel and me many laughs along the way.

Let's not forget Mother Nature's role in this experience, too. Mountains take the cake, closely followed by volcanic craters, dramatic valleys, and last but not least, city parks.

Weather should get some recognition. Yo summer heat, thanks for making a grand appearance. We owe our sweat-drenched clothes in DC to you; much love.

And then there's the Sierra Club, and what it's all about. I think they did a pretty good job summing it up when they created the motto "Enjoy, Explore, and Protect the Planet." We got to experience all three, with a heavy emphasis on explore. If only I could spend my entire life being the Best Intern on Earth, I'd be an eternally happy camper.

I just realized no one ever ate a bug. To next years' Best Intern(s), I triple dog dare you to do this.

September 11, 2013

When did it become the end of August? The entire summer we've been asked where we've been and where we're going. Our spiel always ended with "backpacking in Sequoia," complete with two massive grins and hefty amounts of excitement. And now, after over 30 miles, 6,000 feet total elevation gain, and enough dehydrated peas and carrots to last me a lifetime, we're done travelling. Click on the image below to check out a video of our trip.

It all began on a windy road leading into Mineral King, a valley deep in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains. I would be lying if I said we didn't get massively carsick. But all was well once we reached the campground where we were staying before taking off the next morning on our five-day backpacking trip with Sierra Club National Outings. The mixture of gigantic trees and happy-hour tortilla chips & guac started things off nicely.

The exact area we were hiking in was a part of this big spat between Walt Disney and the Sierra Club a few decades back, when Disney wanted to build a ski resort on these peaks. Long story short, stoked that there's no ski resort there -- that would have put a slight damper on our spectacular views.

So Tuesday morning, our eclectic 14-person group set out to get away from all things civilized and get down and dirty. We asked Thomas and Lesley, the group leaders, which day would be the hardest. "The first day, definitely," they told us reassuringly. Only later did we realize this was just a ploy to build up our confidence. The first day was the easiest.

First day setting out (above) vs. after our highest climb, day 4 (below).

September 05, 2013

We do. July 18th to be precise, for approximately 48 hours. Just enough time to attend an eco-concert. (Click on the image below to see a video about how to green your rock tour.)

Remember that time you thought you put the ketchup lid on tight enough? But it turns out you merely rested the lid atop the container, and then someone else went to use the bottle but gave it a good shake first…

Remember when you used to listen to the Barenaked Ladies?

I’m gonna throw it back to around 1997, dancing around the living room on a Saturday morning to “One Week.” Fast forward about 16 years, and add in Guster (in the pic at the top of this post) and Ben Folds Five. Daniel and I got to groove to these '90s bands; pretty big right there, truth be told.

Remember when you arrived two hours early and had to wait outside in Northeast heat wave?

So we showed up to the concert venue to interview the people who run the eco-village, a set of tables/tents at this concert venue and a myriad of other shows that are involved in the environmental movement. We were promptly told to come back in two hours. Needless to say we got to know the park across the street and the shaved ice vendor pretty well.

At this particular show in Philly, the Sierra Club was tabling to stop illegal logging, and a local Philadelphia non-profit was promoting outdoor education while also sharing their snake, skink and turtle. Oh and their raccoon pelt and skull (see below). Reverb put on this eco-village, and also did all this cutting-edge eco stuff like couple every trash can with a recycling bin, etc., etc.

Remember the Lacey Act?

OK this is potentially the biggest throwback of all. The Lacey Act began in 1900 and was about protecting and preserving animals, and stopping the illegal trade of them. Then a century and a few years later, circa 2008, it was amended and plants were included. With the Lacey Act, the U.S. became the first country to ban illegal trade of timber and wood products.

So now it's also about illegal logging. Save the Amazon! So the Sierra Club has been tabling to keep it alive, and to urge concert-goers to ask their Member of Congress to support strong implementation of the Lacey Act. And the whole thing is tied to these green concerts because of wooden instruments, i.e., guitars made out of illegal wood. Which must stop of course.

So we tabled a bit (that's Vrinda Manglik, a volunteer with the Sierra Club's Responsible Trade program, above), filmed a bit, talked to concert goers and Reverb volunteers alike, and meandered around the cool venue that had a fabulous view of downtown Philadelphia in the distance.

By the time the night wrapped up, we had a good sense of both what it meant to green a tour, and why Philly cheesesteaks are so popular.

August 30, 2013

The penultimate trip this summer for me and Daniel can be summed up in two words: wolves rock. Still in awe, and it's been over a week since I was licked on the face by one.

Circa August 9, 2013, we set out for Colorado. After flying into Colorado Springs, we met up with a group of Boulder ICO (Inner City Outings) kids going to Mission: Wolf, a sanctuary in this gorgeous valley. Game plan: meet some wolves and help out the volunteers who work there.

August 08, 2013

What: a service trip coordinate by the Sierra Club. These 16 people signed up to camp, help eradicate invasive, non-native plants from the park, and explore the area with each other. A tenacious bunch.

Where: Northern California, but these mountains are part of the lower Cascades, not the Sierra. Just a lil' fun fact in case you want to wow someone with your outdoorsy geographic knowledge.

Who: Daniel,
me, and about 16 other people of all ages. I believe they call this kind of
trip "multi-generational."

When: Everyone else was there, at the beginning of August, for a week. Daniel and I,
living in the fast lane per usual, made a three-day appearance, and then San Francisco duties
called us home. We also have to go to Colorado in a few days. Life is hard.

How: Technically speaking, we got there by driving
up I-5. On a larger scale, the trip happened thanks to Sierra Club Outings. Also, Arlene the cook shouldn't be forgotten. Thanks for the blueberry
pancakes!

Why:
Non-native invasive plants like the bull thistle do not just get up one day and
walk away; someone actually has to weed them out. Weeding is the new vacationing, haven't you heard?

August 01, 2013

Sprog whaaa? Those were the exact words that I said on Monday, July 15, upon arriving in Bradford Woods, Indiana. It was then explained to me that a "SPROG" is a summer grassroots leadership training program put on by the Sierra Student Coalition. Basically a week-long summer camp for people who want to learn how to make a difference in the world and eat s'mores while they do it. To that, I give a big thumbs up.

Let me set the scene for you: trees galore, cabins for sleeping and one main rec room with about 25 people milling about. Milling about with purpose of course; the sproggers, or campers, were there to be trained on community organizing and leadership on environmental issues. The trainers were there to train. The cooks were there to cook. We were there to film. The mosquitos were there to bite. Everyone had a purpose.

Highlights of our three days spent investigating and kickin' it with the Midwest Sprog crew include: sittin' on the dock of the bay (or manmade lake in this case) and swapping stories, slacklining in true tree-hugging fashion, and feeling the tangible dedication that these young people have toward saving the enviro. When I picture an "environmentalist," my mind does not immediately conjure up someone my age, but that's exactly what we found. The oldest person anywhere in the vicinity was 27. Time to partay... wholesome, campfire style.

July 23, 2013

So the question is, where were YOU on July 13th? Because we were in Chicago, posted up in Hyde Park, simultaneously attending a youth leadership summit hosted by Outdoor Nation and wondering if that Starbucks on the corner was Obama's go-to back in the day.

You know those days when it's 70 degrees out, no humidity, sun shining on the water and you're just feeling double o d GOOD? Add an eclectic mix of outdoor enthusiasts, inner city Chicago teens, some tent-chillin' on Northerly Island with the skyline in the background, a steady stream of good food and there you have our weekend spent with Outdoor Nation. We were on our full-fledged summer time grind.

Even though the phrase "youth leadership summit" is drier than the Mojave Desert, this one was practically Niagara Falls. We had absolutely no idea what to expect, but were pretty much sold once they gave each attendee a nifty trivia answering pad. Why is the act of pressing buttons so fun?!?

Everyone else at this summit besides us came with a group, and in 30-ish hours each group had to come up with a project to get communities and people outdoors. Then everyone presented their idea, the rest of the groups voted, and the two most popular projects plus a staff choice were given 1,500 dollars to put their idea into action. Dolla dolla bills y'all, sounds like a sweet deal to me. Also, everyone got to camp.

We all bopped on over to Northerly Island, essentially a nice strip of grass where we could both camp and still have a stellar view of the city highrises. Who needs compromises when you can have it all? Friends, card games in tents, catered food, and a North Face rep to tell us stories. A bunch of the kids I talked to had never been camping before, but were becoming more and more sold on the idea. If the goal was to inspire people to get outdoors, this organization plus the weather did a bang-up job.

Daniel and I did identify an elephant in the room, and attempted to get to the bottom of it. We asked as many people as we could find (and who would willingly answer), "Is camping a 'white person' thing?" The reactions and responses were fascinating; just wait for our video.

Did I mention that each person at this summit got a $90 gift card for Merrell's sneaks? And so I ask again, what were you doing on July 13th, and was it better than all this…

July 12, 2013

Who knew there was such thing as a “Solar Decathlon?” Santa Clara University is definitely raising its figurative hand right now. I, on the other hand, was pretty clueless about such matters until…this Tuesday.

Turns out there’s this international contest between university teams competing to create the most energy-efficient house using solar energy, and it goes by the name Solar Decathlon because the houses are judged on 10 categories. So now you’re in the know too. Voila, you’re welcome.

We took a quick jaunt to Santa Clara this week to investigate what the heck this commotion was all about. Conveniently, the students there knew every single detail imaginable about the contest in general and their house specifically, called the “Radiant House.” Ooh la la.

The Radiant House is pretty spiffy, and the 25 students working on it are pretty spiffy too. They wear pedometers to track how much energy they’re spending—how appropriate. Except there wasn’t a prize for the person who spent the most energy, and no one was very competitive about it. I suggested they change that immediately, spice it up a little.

The people on the team are just plain impressive, first of all because they get to the construction site every summer morning at 7 am. It’s also a two-year project. And an extracurricular. Those engineers, they really do kill the game. Speaking of winning, Daniel and I played “lets spot the two non-engineers” and finished in about 2 minutes. Done and done.

I asked if the team if had any fun nicknames, to which they responded “Solar.” I offered up “Sunny D,” but it didn’t catch on.

Other fun facts:

-Structural bamboo is about to take over the architectural/construction world. You heard it here first.-If you happen find yourself in Irvine, California, circa October, and see a bunch of students hammering away on the final touches of building a house instead of studying in a library, don’t be alarmed.-The bedroom of the Santa Clara house is going to have a wall painted burnt orange. How very SoCal hip.

Obviously there are about 145,627 more neat facts on this topic. I could go on and on, but instead I will leave you with this final question: If the names of Santa Clara house entries in years past have been Ripple, Refract, and now Radiant, what will they name their next house? My bet’s on “Revelation.”

Contemplate that, along with Global Warming and the other large questions of the universe, while us Best Interns hit the road, Jack. We’ll update you on the Midwest and Kanye’s hometown STAT.

July 03, 2013

Washington, DC-- the land of dudes in suits, big black SUVs parked suspiciously around every corner, and incidentally where we found ourselves last week, amidst Supreme Court decisions galore.

We came to the nation's capital to catch some of Great Outdoors America Week, and ended up learning a valuable lesson: walking on the National Mall in 97-degree weather is like taking a bath in your own sweat. GO America Week was actually pretty cool though; there were kayaking lessons, a great horned owl that I'm sure would dominate in staring contests, and Sierra Club temporary tattoos. What more could one want?

We also attended a semi-swanky congressional reception. We schmoozed and tried our hands at networking with all those dudes in suits. There was a photo booth at the event too.

Some rando wanted to get in on our photo op.

In other news, our timing was impeccable. We were at the capital the day of bye-bye DOMA, the day after Obama's climate speech and the week before 4th of July. Needless to say we were feeling a bit on the patriotic side even though we were sweating bullets.

I now present you with a picture of me stalking Mike Brune, with the capitol building in the background. Prime.

Upon returning, we've whipped up a quick guide on how to spend 4th of July in D.C. -- five ways to really dig into our nation and all it has to offer.

We're taking a travel break for a hot sec to enjoy BBQs and Bart Strikes here in San Francisco, but soon enough we'll be off to a more central locale with windbreakers in tow.